Austin Peay-KU matchup

Mr. Double-Double

Chris Horton quickly gained the respect of Kansas basketball players this week. Before any of them could watch video of Austin Peay, they noticed his numbers on the scouting report.

Horton, a 6-foot-8 senior forward, averages 18.9 points and 12 rebounds. The bulk of his production came against mid-major opponents. Still, few players average a double-double.

“Clearly,” Kansas forward Landen Lucas said, “he is a dominant big man.”

“We have to key on him,” KU forward Perry Ellis added. “He really gets after it, and we will have to play team defense against him.”

Horton is looking forward to the challenge. He says he has experience against top-tier forwards, having played against Vanderbilt and Indiana at the beginning of the season, but neither of those teams were as strong or as deep as Kansas inside.

But he thinks his desire to rebound will help him hold his own. Ellis and Lucas will have to fight for loose balls more than they usually would against a No. 16 seed.

“I can’t really describe it, I just want the rebound,” Horton said. “A lot of people can’t rebound. A lot of people can’t do what I can do. I like to get rebounds, and that’s what I do.”

No easy points

Austin Peay guard Josh Robinson says his team’s defensive strategy against Kansas will be simple.

“The main thing we want to focus on is limiting their rebounds and their easy baskets,” Robinson said. “There isn’t a whole lot else we are looking at. We just have to make them work for points.”

That may be easier said than done. Kansas can score easy baskets in many ways. Ellis is a talented inside scorer, the Jayhawks are sharp from three and they are skilled in transition.

The Governors will need to be ready on all fronts.

“They’re a terrific transition team,” Austin Peay coach Dave Loos said. “They’ve always really thrived on getting the easy baskets, so we know that we’re going to have to get back.”

Bench advantage

The Jayhawks may have their biggest advantage when both teams put reserves on the floor.

Austin Peay has three double-digit scorers in its starting lineup, but few reliable scorers on its bench. Kansas has a plethora of options available, including Brannen Greene, Svi Mykhailiuk and Carlton Bragg.

Bragg had a strong run in the Big 12 Tournament, scoring 12 points against K-State and seven against Baylor, and is poised for more.

“My confidence is high,” Bragg said. “My teammates are encouraging me to keep shooting and I think I’m ready to be a difference-maker in this tournament.”

Injury update

All is quiet on the Kansas injury front, which is a contrast to recent seasons. In 2014, the Jayhawks were without star freshman Joel Embiid, who missed KU’s two NCAA Tournament games with a back injury.

Last year, Perry Ellis was slowed by a knee injury that forced him to miss the final regular-season game and to briefly leave the second-round loss to Wichita State. Not an injury, but Cliff Alexander’s eligibility was questioned by the NCAA missed the final three weeks last season.

“This is a unique year for us going into the tournament because I feel like we’re whole for the first time in a while,” KU coach Bill Self said.

Austin Peay’s Horton injured his ankle in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament final against Tennessee-Martin but expects to play on Thursday.

“It’s doing better right now,” Horton said. “I’m getting better day by day – still sore. I’m still getting treatment. I’ll be all right, though. I’m not going to try to focus on it so much because that will affect how I play.”

Perimeter help

Austin Peay ranks 19th nationally in two-pointers made, thanks mostly to the 6-foot-8 Horton’s 60.4-percent shooting. He hasn’t attempted a three-pointer.

The Governors aren’t as prolific from the perimeter, ranking 186th in three-pointers attempted. Guards Khalil Harris and Josh Robinson have combined to take 336 free throws, signifying their ability to get to the basket, so any success shooting long-range makes Austin Peay more dangerous.

“Horton is a big focus (inside),” Davis said. “If we get good guard play on the perimeter, it makes us harder to guard.”

Worth noting

The top-seeded Jayhawks are aiming for their 15th straight victory. History is on their side, as No. 1 seeds are 124-0 against 16 seeds. KU, which enters as a 26-point betting favorite, is 19-0 against Ohio Valley opponents, with its last win coming in December 2012 against Belmont (89-60). The Jayhawks also have won nine straight NCAA Tournament openers, a streak that dates to 2007.… Austin Peay is making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2008 after winning four consecutive games in the Ohio Valley Tournament as the eighth seed. Austin Peay, which was only an average three-point shooting team in the regular season, shot well at the right time, making 37 of 87 threes in the OVC Tournament (43 percent). That included a 16-for-31 effort in their championship game victory over Tennessee-Martin.

Kellis Robinett, Jeffrey Lutz, Jesse Newell

This story was originally published March 16, 2016 at 5:36 PM with the headline "Austin Peay-KU matchup."